Study from late 1990s recommended riverfront Albany aquarium

A 16-year-old study commissioned by business leaders in downtown Albany, NY, recommends building an aquarium along the Hudson River, not the inland area that a developer is now pushing as the best site.

The $35,000 study by Hunter Interests Inc., a consulting firm in Maryland, was paid for by the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District and released in late 1997.

It has several suggestions for creating an entertainment district downtown, including building a $20 million to $30 million aquarium at the Corning Preserve on the riverfront.

It’s unclear whether Hunter Interests would have recommended an inland aquarium, such as the one now suggested by the leaders of Omni Development Co. Inc.

The consultants focused on the southern end of the Corning Preserve because it was identified by city and state officials at the time as the preferred site for a cultural entertainment attraction.

The long-forgotten report resurfaced last week when City Hall released portions of the 70-page document in response to calls from Omni Develoment leaders to build an aquarium downtown.

They want to see an aquarium, IMAX-style movie theater and science/technology museum built on land near the Greyhound bus station that has languished for years as the site of a proposed convention center.

The area being targeted for the aquarium today — while not along the city’s riverfront — isn’t far from the Hudson River.

Mayor Jerry Jennings has been lukewarm to the aquarium proposal, saying Omni should pay for a feasibility study. Omni leaders are putting the onus on the public sector to foot the bill for a study.

The Hunter Interests study says a 40,000-square-foot to 50,000-square foot aquarium would attract 600,000 visitors annually, though it also says “unknown factors” could make the location or configuration “unfeasible.”

“An in-depth financial and development feasibility study must be done for this project,” the report states. “As public subsidies will most likely be required, and multi-level financing structured, the aquarium development must undergo the closest scrutiny.”